Ancient Pacific Whales Lived On Land Like Rhinos

TL;DR

When we think of whales and webbed feet come to mind. However according to a study published Thursday in peer reviewed journal Current Biology. The ancient whale dates backed to about 42. 6 million years ago and was capable of living both on land and underwater. However the latest discovery has convinced scientists that the species likely reached South America after crossing the southern Atlantic from western Africa. GennariIt sounds like someone created an animal by pulling anatomical parts out of a hat. Researchers discovered an ancient whale skeleton in Peru that has four legs webbed feet and hooves on its toes. The Natural History Museum in the UK describes the animal as a semi whale known as a protocetid. They named the animal Peregocetus pacificus meaning the traveling whale that reached the Pacific Ocean. The well preserved fossil specimen shows it had a long tail and four legs with hooved toes that were likely webbed like an otters